Iceland attractions

Stykkishólmskirkja

Stykkishólmskirkja is the white concrete church in Stykkishólmur, on the north side of the Snæfellsnes peninsula in West Iceland, and its tall, arched bell tower can be seen from almost anywhere in town. Up close, the sweeping walls and open bell arch look closer to sculpture than to a parish church, and they make the old timber houses around the harbor look tiny. The Stykkishólmur church was designed by architect Jón Haraldsson, who died in 1989, the year before it was consecrated on May 6, 1990. Inside, the space is bright and simple, with seats for 300 people. The altarpiece, Mary with the Child by Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir, is a large oil painting that came to the church in 1999. A Klais pipe organ built in Germany, with 22 stops and 1,220 pipes, was inaugurated in January 2012. The church is known for its acoustics and hosts concerts as well as services. The church stands on Borgarbraut, a short walk uphill from the harbor and the town center, with views out over Breiðafjörður from the rocks around it. Stykkishólmur is about 2.5 hours by car from Reykjavík. Plan on 15 to 30 minutes, longer if you catch a service or a concert. Down in the old town at Aðalgata 5 stands the church it replaced, consecrated in 1879 and restored in 1998. That old church is a protected building and is not open to the public, though viewings can be arranged through the Norwegian House museum. Visiting hours for the new church are not posted, so call ahead if seeing the interior matters to your plans.

Stykkishólmur Swimming Pool

Stykkishólmur Swimming Pool is the town pool in Stykkishólmur, the harbor town on the north coast of the Snæfellsnes peninsula, and its hot tubs are filled with certified mineral water. Most town pools in Iceland run on ordinary geothermal water, which gives this one a reason to stop beyond simply getting warm. The water comes from the Hofstaðir borehole and was certified as mineral water by the German lab Institut Fresenius. It is alkaline, and locals recommend it for sore muscles and for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. You will find the pool at the sports center on Borgarbraut 4, a few minutes on foot from the harbor where the Baldur ferry leaves for the Westfjords. Outside there is a 25 by 12 meter pool with a 57-meter waterslide and a wading pool, plus two hot tubs at 38 to 40°C and 40 to 42°C and a cold tub at 4 to 6°C. Indoors, a 12-meter pool kept at about 33°C is used for lessons and training. Children make straight for the slide, while most adults settle into the hotter tub and stay there. Stykkishólmur is about a two-hour drive from Reykjavík, so a swim works well at the end of a day on the peninsula or before an early ferry. Plan on an hour or so. From June 1 to August 31 the pool opens 07:05 to 22:00 Monday to Thursday, 07:05 to 19:00 on Friday and 10:00 to 18:00 on weekends. The rest of the year it opens 07:05 to 22:00 on weekdays, 10:00 to 17:00 on Saturday and 12:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, and entry stops 30 minutes before closing. Under the price list valid from January 2026, adults pay 1,750 ISK, children pay 550 ISK, and seniors and disabled visitors pay 900 ISK. If you forgot your gear, towels and swimsuits rent for 1,000 ISK each. As at every Icelandic pool, shower without your swimsuit before you get in.

Stórurð

Stórurð is a field of giant boulders and turquoise ponds beneath the jagged Dyrfjöll mountains in East Iceland, between Egilsstaðir and Borgarfjörður eystri. The name means great scree, and the blocks of tuff scattered across its grassy meadows were most likely left behind by retreating glaciers. For a full day on foot in the Eastfjords, few hikes repay the effort as well. You can only reach Stórurð on foot, on one of five marked trails: two from the Vatnsskarð pass on Road 94, one from Njarðvík and two from Borgarfjörður eystri. The round trip takes about 4 to 5 hours. The Stórurð trailhead most people use is the parking lot at Vatnsskarð, a drive of under an hour from Egilsstaðir. Timing matters more than fitness here. Because Stórurð sits over 400 meters above sea level, snow lingers well into summer, and the best time to visit is from mid-July until the first real snowfall of fall. Wear proper boots, since the trails cross wet ground and rocky slopes, and check the forecast, as fog can roll over the pass quickly. The Stórurð hike pairs well with a night in Borgarfjörður eystri, the small village at the end of Road 94, where you can see puffins at the harbor in summer. If you would rather hike with a guide, the women-only Víknaslóðir trek in East Iceland starts with a day at Stórurð.

Stöðvarfjörður Swimming Pool

Stöðvarfjörður swimming pool is the small outdoor village pool in Stöðvarfjörður, a fishing village of a few hundred people on Route 96 in the Eastfjords. It sits below the school at Skólabraut 20, and after a long day on the twisting coastal road, it is a cheap and easy way to loosen up. Keep expectations simple: there is one small outdoor pool and one hot tub, and you will mostly share them with local families. Half an hour to an hour is plenty. If you are staying at the village campground, which has no hot water, the pool is also your best bet for a hot shower. The Stöðvarfjörður pool opens only in summer, from May 15 to August 31. In that window it is open 10:00–19:00 on weekdays and 13:00–17:00 on weekends, and from September 1 to May 14 it is closed. Out of season, the nearest open pools are in larger Fjarðabyggð towns such as Eskifjörður. Under the Fjarðabyggð tariff valid from May 1, 2026, adult entry is 1,145 ISK, teens aged 16 and 17 pay 325 ISK, and children under 16 swim free. Petra's Stone Collection is a short walk away, so a swim and a look at the stones make an easy afternoon. Breiðdalsvík is about 20 minutes south, and Egilsstaðir is a little over an hour north.

Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar

Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar is the oldest swimming pool in Hafnarfjörður, an indoor hall near the seafront at Herjólfsgata 10b, about 20 minutes' drive south of central Reykjavík. Long before the town had slides and leisure pools, it had this one, and the old swimming hall still draws a loyal crowd of early-morning lap swimmers. An outdoor pool opened here at Krosseyrarmalir in 1943, and a roof went over it in 1953 to create the present hall. The indoor pool is 25 meters long and 8.7 meters wide, with a deep end of 3.2 meters. Outside you will find two large hot tubs with strong massage jets, and the men's and women's changing rooms each have a sauna, the only saunas at any Hafnarfjörður pool. With no slides or children's pool, this is a place for laps and a long soak. Families with small children are better off at Suðurbæjarlaug, a short drive away, and so is anyone hoping to swim on a weekend. Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar opens only Monday to Friday, 06:30 to 21:00. It closes on most public holidays and keeps shorter hours on a few, including June 17 and the days before Christmas and New Year. An adult ticket costs 1,250 ISK, and children under 18 and seniors aged 67 and over swim free. Towels and swimsuits rent for 940 ISK each, or 1,450 ISK for both. Hafnarfjörður's campsite is a short drive away, which makes a weekday soak an easy add-on for campers. As at every Icelandic pool, shower without your swimsuit before you get in.

Sundhöll Selfoss

Sundhöll Selfoss is the main public swimming pool in Selfoss, South Iceland, run by the Árborg municipality at Tryggvagata 15 in the town center. With more than 320,000 visits a year it is one of the busiest pools in South Iceland. Selfoss is where most people stop for gas and groceries on the way to the south coast, and a swim here beats another hour in the car. The Selfoss swimming pool has room for both laps and lounging. Outside there is a 25-meter pool, and inside an 18-meter pool that doubles as a training pool, so visitors can use it whenever no training session is booked. Kids head for the children's pool with three water slides and the wading pool, while adults tend to rotate between the hot tubs, the cold tub, the steam bath and the sauna. An extension in 2015 added a children's pool, a new reception and larger changing rooms, and there are accessible changing facilities both indoors and outdoors. A World Class gym is on the upper floor and shares the front desk. Parking is right by the building. The pool opens 06:30–22:00 Monday to Thursday, 06:30–19:00 on Friday and 09:00–18:00 on weekends, with ticket sales stopping 15 minutes before closing. It closes on some public holidays, including Good Friday, Easter Sunday, June 17 and Christmas Day, and shuts at 11:00 on December 24 and 31. For 2026, a single adult entry costs 1,900 ISK, children aged 10–17 pay 360 ISK and seniors 67 and over pay 490 ISK, while children under 10 and disabled visitors with a valid card swim free. Swimsuits and towels rent for 1,150 ISK each, or you can pay 2,700 ISK for both plus entry. Selfoss is about 45 minutes from Reykjavík on Route 1, so an hour here fits easily at the start or end of a Golden Circle or south coast day.

Sundhöll Seyðisfjarðar

Sundhöll Seyðisfjarðar is the indoor swimming hall in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland, designed by state architect Guðjón Samúelsson, the man behind Hallgrímskirkja, and opened on July 8, 1948. Few town pools in Iceland come with an architect's pedigree like that. Inside, it is small and friendly rather than grand. The pool measures 12.5 by 7 meters and is kept warm enough for baby swimming lessons, and there is an indoor sauna. Step out to the garden and you'll find a hot tub and a cold tub, which is the best spot on a drizzly East Iceland afternoon. The building is at Suðurgata 5 in the center of Seyðisfjörður, the harbor town at the head of its fjord where the ferry from Denmark docks. Getting there means the drive over the Fjarðarheiði mountain pass from Egilsstaðir, about 27 kilometers and roughly half an hour. In winter, check the official road-conditions map and weather warnings before you set out. The hours are short and split, so plan around them. From September 1 to May 31 the Seyðisfjörður swimming pool opens 07:00–11:00 and 16:00–20:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, mornings only (07:00–11:00) on Tuesday and Thursday, and 11:00–14:00 on Saturday. From June 1 to August 31 every weekday gets both sessions, Saturday stays 11:00–14:00, and the pool is closed on Sundays all year. Under Múlaþing's 2026 price list, a single adult entry costs 1,220 ISK, and children from outside the municipality pay 420 ISK. Allow an hour for a swim and a soak. If you arrive on a Sunday, the larger outdoor pool in Egilsstaðir is the nearest alternative.

Sundhöll Ísafjarðar

Sundhöll Ísafjarðar is the indoor swimming pool in the old town center of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, and the oldest pool in town, built just after the Second World War. When the Westfjords weather turns, and it often does, this is where Ísafjörður goes to warm up, and it is still the pool most locals mean when they say they're going for a swim. Don't expect a leisure complex. The Ísafjörður swimming pool is a 16-meter indoor lane pool with one hot tub, a cold tub and a sauna, and a small sports hall shares the building. You can walk over from the harbor or most guesthouses in a few minutes. A few house rules are worth knowing before you go. There are no private changing cubicles, and the sauna is reached through one changing room only, so it alternates by day: women on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, men on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, with Fridays switching by week number. As at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before getting in. Hours change with the season. From June 2 the pool opens 10:00–21:00 on weekdays and 10:00–17:00 on weekends, while from August 23 it switches to short early-morning and evening sessions on weekdays (07:00–08:00, then 16:00–21:00, or 18:00–21:00 on Thursday) and 10:00–17:00 on weekends. That makes a summer afternoon the easiest time for a visitor to drop in. Under the municipal fees valid from August 1, 2026, a single adult entry costs 1,420 ISK and anyone under 18 swims free. Towels and swimsuits rent for 1,140 ISK each. If you want an outdoor pool, drive about 20 minutes to Suðureyri, or 15 minutes through the tunnel to Bolungarvík for hot tubs under open sky.

Sundlaugin að Hlöðum

Sundlaugin að Hlöðum is a small, summer-only swimming pool at Hlaðir on the north shore of Hvalfjörður in Hvalfjarðarsveit, West Iceland. It sits about 10 minutes off Route 1 if you turn into the fjord at Laxárbakki. Since most drivers now take the tunnel under Hvalfjörður and skip the fjord entirely, the pool at Hlaðir is mostly left to locals and the few who take the long way. That quiet is the main reason to stop, along with a good spread of hot and cold water for such a small place. The main pool is 16.67 meters long and kept at about 31–32°C, with a wading pool at 30–31°C for small children. Two geothermal hot tubs run at 38–40°C, and a larger tub opens when the pool gets busy. For contrast there is an electric sauna at 75–90°C and a cold tub at 6–9°C. House rules are relaxed by Icelandic standards. Ice cream and drinks are allowed in the hot tubs and the wading pool, and you settle the bill when you leave. Changing rooms are split by gender, indoors and outdoors, and wheelchair users enter through the outdoor changing room, since the indoor ones are downstairs with no lift. Timing is everything here. In 2026 the pool opened daily from May 23 to August 15, 12:00–20:00 on weekdays and 10:00–20:00 on weekends, with extra openings on the last two weekends of August, and it is closed for the rest of the year. Check the pool's official website for the next season's dates before a summer visit. Under the 2026 prices, adults paid 1,200 ISK, children aged 6–16 paid 500 ISK, and seniors and disability pensioners paid 1,020 ISK, while children under 6 swam free. Swimsuits and towels rented for 900 ISK each. Allow an hour or two, and pair the swim with the Glymur hike at the head of the fjord for a full day from Reykjavík.

Sundlaugin Laugalandi

Sundlaugin Laugalandi is the small municipal swimming pool at Laugaland in the Holt district of Rangárþing ytra, South Iceland, a short drive north of Hella and Route 1. It is the kind of rural pool where you may share the hot tub with a handful of locals and nobody else. The setup is simple: an 8 by 16 meter outdoor pool, two hot tubs and a water slide. There is no sauna or steam room, so come to Laugaland for a swim and a soak rather than a spa afternoon. Hours are what you need to plan around. In summer 2026 the pool opens only on Friday 14:00 to 21:00, Saturday 10:00 to 19:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 15:00, while the winter 2026 to 2027 timetable is just Tuesday and Thursday, 15:00 to 19:00. The municipality does not publish the exact changeover dates, so check its official pool page before you make the detour. Rangárþing ytra's 2026 tariff puts adult pool entry at 1,500 ISK and ages 10 to 15 at 500 ISK, and residents under 18 swim free. If Laugaland is closed, Hella Swimming Pool is about 10 km away and opens every day. Either way, an hour is plenty, and as at every pool in Iceland you must shower without a swimsuit before you get in.

Sundlaugin Laugaskarði

Sundlaugin Laugaskarði is the public swimming pool of Hveragerði, the geothermal town on Route 1 about 45 km east of Reykjavík. It sits at Laugaskarð on the bank of the Varmá river at the edge of town, about 40 minutes' drive from the capital. The Laugaskarð swimming pool opened in 1938, and after it was lengthened to 50 meters it was for many years the largest pool in Iceland, where the national swim team trained. That long outdoor lane pool is still the main draw. Around it are hot tubs, a whirlpool and a natural steam bath heated by steam rising from the ground. For most travelers, the Hveragerði swimming pool makes sense paired with the Reykjadalur hot river hike, whose trailhead is a few kilometers north of town. Swim here before or after the walk and you get proper showers and changing rooms, which the valley lacks. It also works as a first or last stop on a South Coast or Golden Circle day. From May 15 to September 14, the pool opens 06:45 to 21:30 on weekdays and 09:00 to 19:00 on weekends. The rest of the year it closes at 20:30 on weekdays, with weekend hours of 10:00 to 17:30. A single adult ticket is 1,500 ISK and a child ticket 440 ISK, both valid for a year after purchase, and a 10-visit adult card is 5,640 ISK.

Suðurbæjarlaug

Suðurbæjarlaug is a public swimming pool at Hringbraut 77 in the south of Hafnarfjörður, the harbor town about 20 minutes' drive south of central Reykjavík. With two waterslides, three hot tubs and a pair of cold tubs, it is the pool Hafnarfjörður families head to on a Saturday. It is one of the town's three public pools, along with Ásvallalaug and the older Sundhöll Hafnarfjarðar. The main pool is outdoors and measures 12.5 by 25 meters, and it connects to an indoor training pool that doubles as a children's pool. Around them you have three hot tubs, a steam bath and two cold tubs kept at different temperatures. Small children get a wading pool with a mushroom spray fountain, and massage therapists work on site if you want more than a soak. Since this is a working Hafnarfjörður swimming pool, school swimming, club practice and water aerobics take up lanes at set times. Early mornings and weekday evenings are the quietest for laps, while weekend afternoons fill with families. The outdoor pool and hot tubs stay open all year, and a winter evening in the steam is one of the cheaper ways to warm up near the capital. Opening hours are 06:30 to 22:00 Monday to Thursday, 06:30 to 20:00 on Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 on Saturday and 08:00 to 21:00 on Sunday. An adult ticket costs 1,250 ISK, and children under 18 and seniors aged 67 and over swim free. You can rent a swimsuit or a towel for 940 ISK, or both for 1,450 ISK. Allow an hour or two, and shower without your swimsuit before you get in.

Suðureyri Swimming Pool

Suðureyri Swimming Pool, known locally as Suðureyrarlaug, is the outdoor pool in the small fishing village of Suðureyri on Súgandafjörður in the Westfjords. It is the only outdoor pool in the Ísafjarðarbær municipality, which makes it the drive to take from Ísafjörður if you want to swim under open sky. The pool itself is 17 meters long, with two hot tubs and a wading pool for children beside it. An outdoor sauna is the extra that sets it apart from most village pools. The building also holds a gym and a sports hall linked to the school, and the changing rooms are shared, with no private cubicles. From Ísafjörður, Suðureyri is about 20 minutes away on Route 60 through the Vestfjarðagöng tunnel, where you turn onto the Route 65 branch toward the village. Once there, an hour is enough for a swim, a soak and a round in the sauna. A late afternoon visit fits well after a day exploring the fjords. In summer, from June 2, the pool opens 11:00 to 20:00 every day. Winter hours start on August 23: Monday 17:00 to 20:00, Tuesday and Thursday 16:00 to 19:00, Wednesday 13:00 to 19:00 and weekends 11:00 to 17:00, with the pool closed on Fridays. Hours can change at short notice, so check the current schedule before you drive over. Under Ísafjarðarbær's fees valid from August 1, 2026, a single entry costs 1,420 ISK. Children under 18 swim free, and seniors aged 67 and over and disabled visitors get 50% off. Towels and swimsuits rent for 1,140 ISK each, and as everywhere in Iceland you shower without your swimsuit before getting in.

Sælingsdalslaug

Sælingsdalslaug is a geothermal swimming pool at Laugar in Sælingsdalur, in the Dalir district of West Iceland, about 20 minutes' drive north of Búðardalur. The pool stands on the farm where Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir of Laxdæla saga lived, and its hot water still comes from the ground that gave Laugar its name, which means warm baths. The site is about 1 kilometer off Route 60 and roughly 2.5 hours by car from Reykjavík. That puts it on the main road between the Ring Road and the Westfjords, so it makes a good place to wash off a long day of driving. Sælingsdalslaug is run with Dalahótel, the hotel on the same site, and the water is heated from a borehole on the hotel grounds. Expect an outdoor pool, a wading pool for small children, hot tubs and a steam bath. A short walk away, the small reconstructed hot pool Guðrúnarlaug looks across the valley, and the two together are worth about an hour. Opening hours and admission prices aren't published, and they can change with the season. Call Dalahótel before you make a special trip, especially outside summer. As at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before you get in.

Sólgarðar í Fljótum

Sólgarðar í Fljótum is a small country swimming pool in Fljót, the snowy farming valley on the western side of Tröllaskagi in North Iceland. It sits beside Sóti Lodge off Route 76, roughly halfway between Siglufjörður and Hofsós, with the mountains of Fljót rising on every side. The setup is modest: a small outdoor pool and a hot tub, with a steam bath on the price list too. Skagafjörður municipality owns the pool but leases out its operation, and the quiet, rural feel is the main reason to stop. Because a leaseholder runs the Sólgarðar pool, there is no fixed published timetable. Opening times change from season to season, so call 467 1033 before you drive out. The Skagafjörður pool tariff lists a single adult ticket at 1,400 ISK, while visiting children aged 7 to 18, seniors and disabled visitors pay 425 ISK and children under 7 swim free. The leaseholder may charge differently, so confirm the price on arrival. Siglufjörður and Hofsós are each about 30 km away by road, which makes a swim here an easy break on a loop around Tröllaskagi. Fljót is known for heavy snow, so check the official road-conditions map before driving Route 76 in winter. As at every Icelandic pool, shower without a swimsuit before you get in.

Technical Museum of East Iceland

The Technical Museum of East Iceland, known locally as Tækniminjasafn Austurlands, is a museum of technology on Hafnargata in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland. It tells how electricity, machinery and the telegraph reached Iceland, in the town where the first submarine telegraph cable came ashore in 1906. The museum is also a place still rebuilding. On December 18, 2020, a large landslide hit the Búðareyri area of town and destroyed or badly damaged most of its historic buildings, and a good part of the collection was lost, although many objects were rescued. Since then the museum has worked without a permanent main building while it plans a new home in a safer part of town. Today's exhibition, Búðareyri: Stories of Transformation, fills the surviving part of the old machine shop and spills outside onto the foundations of houses lost in the Seyðisfjörður landslide. It mixes old and new technology, runs in Icelandic and English, and works well for kids. Outdoor displays near the ferry terminal can be seen at any hour. Seyðisfjörður is about 30 minutes from Egilsstaðir over the Fjarðarheiði pass on Route 93, and the Norröna ferry docks a short walk away. The exhibition opens Monday to Saturday from mid-May to mid-September and by appointment in winter. Admission is ISK 1,500 for adults, ISK 1,000 for students and seniors, and free for children 12 and under, and about an hour covers the indoor and outdoor displays.

Tjaldsvæðið við Skógafoss Campsite

Skógafoss campsite is the campground for Skógafoss waterfall in Skógar, South Iceland, now on a new site about 2 km from the falls. The old field below the waterfall is no longer in use, and a path from the new site crosses the Kverna stream on a footbridge and reaches Skógafoss in about 20 minutes on foot. To find it, turn off the Ring Road (Route 1) onto Skógavegur toward Skógar, then turn left at the large sign for Skógræktarfélag Rangæinga, the local forestry society, and follow the road in. Skógar is about 2 hours' drive east of Reykjavík and about 30 minutes west of Vík, so camping near Skógafoss splits the south coast neatly in two. Facilities are basic. The operator lists toilets, cold fresh water and a disposal point for portable toilets, with no showers or electric hookups, so arrive self-sufficient. You can't book a pitch. Turn up, choose a spot and pay by scanning the QR code on the service building, and expect to pay 2,100 ISK per person per night in 2026. The real reason for camping at Skógafoss is timing. Walk over in the evening or early morning and you share the falls with far fewer people than at midday, and the Fimmvörðuháls trail starts right at the top of the staircase. Sólheimajökull and the Seljavallalaug pool are a short drive away, while restaurants and the Skógar Museum are close by in Skógar itself.

Tungudalur

Tungudalur is a wooded valley on the edge of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords, and its campsite is the town's main place to pitch a tent. Trees around the pitches take the edge off windy days, and the Bunárfoss waterfall runs straight through the middle of the site, splitting it in two. Motorhomes, caravans and folding campers use one side of the stream, while tents go on the other. The older service building holds reception, toilets and a shower. The newer one, built in 2011, adds more showers, an accessible toilet with shower, a laundry and an indoor kitchen with a microwave, toaster, tables and chairs, which counts for a lot on a wet Westfjords evening. The Tungudalur campsite is open from May 15 to September 30 and works on a drop-in basis only, so you can't book ahead. In 2026 adults pay 2,500 ISK a night, seniors and disabled guests 1,600 ISK, and children 14 and under stay free. Electricity costs 1,500 ISK and a lodging tax of 400 ISK per unit is added. The washing machine is 1,100 ISK and a 40-minute dryer cycle 800 ISK, and there are also a children's playground and free wifi. The site sits about 900 meters off Skutulsfjarðarbraut, the main road into Ísafjörður, a short drive from the town's shops, restaurants and the Sundhöll Ísafjarðar pool. Since Ísafjörður is about 6 hours' drive from Reykjavík, it pays to stay at least two nights. Camping in Ísafjörður puts Bolungarvík and Suðureyri within about 20 minutes, and Dynjandi is roughly an hour and a half to the south.

Valahnúkamöl

Valahnúkamöl is a bank of sea-rounded boulders piled up by Atlantic storms at the southwestern tip of the Reykjanes Peninsula, below the Valahnúkur sea cliff. The ridge runs about 420 meters along the shore and stands roughly 10 meters high and 80 meters wide. Every stone here was rolled smooth by the surf, and many are the size of a footstool or larger. The ridge is still moving. A study published in 2025 found that a single winter of storms in 2022 pushed the barrier about 6 meters inland, and the boulders on the seaward face shift almost every year. You reach it on Route 425, about 25 minutes from Keflavík Airport and an hour from Reykjavík, where the road ends beside the ridge. Reykjanesviti, the lighthouse on the hill behind, is a few minutes away on foot, and the Gunnuhver hot springs are less than 2 kilometers inland. Plan on 20 to 30 minutes to walk the top of the ridge and watch the waves come in. Boulders shift underfoot, so wear proper shoes and keep clear of the waterline in heavy surf, when waves can wash right over the ridge. Cracks have opened on the Valahnúkur cliff above, and the path to its top has been closed off at times. Because the peninsula has had repeated eruptions since 2021, follow the signs on site and check the official travel-safety alerts before you go.

Varmahlíð Swimming Pool

Varmahlíð Swimming Pool is the municipal outdoor pool in Varmahlíð, a small village in Skagafjörður, North Iceland, a few hundred meters off the Ring Road beside the village school. That location makes it the easiest swim break on the long drive between Akureyri and Reykjavík. Varmahlíð means "warm slope," after the geothermal ground the village is built on. The outdoor pool is split in two: a 25-by-12.5-meter main section for laps and a warmer 12.5-by-8-meter children's pool with its own small slide. Families come for the 47-meter waterslide, 7 meters high, added in November 2018, and a hot tub beside the pools looks after everyone else. From Akureyri, Varmahlíð is about 95 km west, or roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car, and Reykjavík is about 4 hours south. An hour covers a swim and a soak before you get back on the road. Glaumbær turf farm is about 7 km up Route 75, and Varmahlíð camping is a short walk away if you want to stay the night. Summer hours, from June 1 to August 23, are 12:00–21:00 on weekdays and 10:00–18:00 on weekends, so the pool stays shut on summer weekday mornings and the swim is best planned for the afternoon. From August 24 to May 30 it opens 08:00–21:00 on weekdays and 10:00–16:00 on weekends. Hours can change on public holidays. Adult entry is 1,400 ISK in 2026. Children aged 7 to 18, seniors and disabled visitors pay around 425 ISK, and younger children swim free. Swimsuits and towels can be rented for about 850 ISK each, and as at every Icelandic pool, you shower without a swimsuit before getting in.

Vatnajökull National Park

Vatnajökull National Park is Iceland's largest protected area, built around the Vatnajökull ice cap and reaching from the glacier lagoons of the southeast coast to the river canyons of the north. It was formally established on June 7, 2008, by joining the ice cap with the older Skaftafell and Jökulsárgljúfur national parks, and it now covers more than a tenth of the country. UNESCO added the park to the World Heritage List on July 5, 2019, for the way fire and ice keep building and reshaping the land. Active volcanoes lie under the ice cap, and their eruptions and glacial floods spread the black sand plains you cross on Route 1. Most visitors start on the southern side. Skaftafell, about four and a half hours' drive east of Reykjavík on Route 1, is the main hiking base, and Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon lies about 45 minutes farther east. In the north, the Jökulsárgljúfur area holds Dettifoss and the horseshoe canyon of Ásbyrgi, while Askja, Lakagígar and Eldgjá sit in the highlands. Those highland areas are reached on F-roads that usually open only in summer and require a 4x4, or on a guided tour. Check the official road-conditions map for openings before you plan a day around them. The park runs several visitor centers around its edges, including Skaftafellsstofa in Skaftafell, Gljúfrastofa in Jökulsárgljúfur, Skaftárstofa and Snæfellsstofa. Skaftafellsstofa is open all year, from 09:00 to 19:00 in June through August, with shorter hours the rest of the year. Rangers there can tell you which trails are open and what conditions to expect. There is no entrance fee for Vatnajökull National Park, but the park charges regional fees at Skaftafell and Jökulsárlón. A car with up to five seats pays 1,110 ISK, valid until midnight on the day you pay, and cameras read license plates. You can pay at machines in the lot or through the Parka app, and the fee is half price if you already paid at another fee area of the park that day. Summer is the season for hiking and the highland roads, while winter brings guided ice cave trips on the southern outlet glaciers. You can see one corner of the park in a day from the south coast, but covering its main regions takes a week or more.

Vatnaveröld

Vatnaveröld is the covered water-play park inside Sundmiðstöðin, the main swimming center of Reykjanesbær, on Sunnubraut in Keflavík. The name means "Water World," and with Keflavík Airport about 10 minutes away by car, it is the handiest water park near Keflavík Airport for families on an arrival or departure day. Inside the hall, heated water and play equipment are set up for younger children, so the weather outside never matters. The same building has a 50-meter indoor pool for lane swimming. Outdoors there is a 25-meter pool, four hot tubs and a steam bath, which is where most adults end up. As the main Keflavík swimming pool, the center keeps long hours: 06:30–21:30 on weekdays and 09:00–18:00 on weekends, with 10 minutes after closing to leave the building. Holiday hours differ, so call ahead on 420 1500 before a public holiday. As at every pool in Iceland, children under 10 must come with a swimmer aged 15 or older. Entry is the standard municipal pool fee, a small fraction of what the Blue Lagoon charges, so a warm soak after a long flight costs very little here. Plan on one to two hours. Before you get in, shower without a swimsuit, the house rule at every Icelandic pool.

Vestrahorn

Vestrahorn is a jagged mountain of scree peaks on the Stokksnes peninsula in Southeast Iceland, about 15 minutes' drive east of Höfn. It rises straight out of the black sand at Stokksnes beach, and on a calm day the whole ridge reflects in the wet sand below, which is why photographers plan whole trips around it. A short gravel road leaves Route 1 and ends at the Viking Café, the gateway to the beach. From Reykjavík it is a long day on the road, so most people visit while staying in or near Höfn on a Ring Road trip. Stokksnes is private land, and the owners charge a per-person entrance fee, with children under 16 free. You buy tickets at the Viking Café during opening hours or at the self-service kiosk outside, and each ticket is good for one entry. Check the current price at the café before you head out to the dunes. Beyond the café, a track leads to the grassy black sand dunes that frame most photos of Vestrahorn mountain, and on to the beach and the point. Near the café is a replica Viking village, built in 2009 as a film set for a movie that was never made and later used to film The Witcher: Blood Origin. Sunrise and sunset light up the scree, and low tide leaves the wet sand that mirrors the peaks. On clear winter nights, the northern lights can appear over the ridge. Plan on one to two hours, longer if you are waiting for light. For camping around Vestrahorn, the Viking Café runs a campsite with showers, cooking facilities and electricity, along with a guesthouse. Overnight guests can walk onto the beach at any time without buying a separate ticket.

Vesturbæjarlaug

Vesturbæjarlaug is a public swimming pool on Hofsvallagata in Vesturbær, the residential west end of Reykjavík, about a 20-minute walk west of the city center. It opened in 1961, and for people in the old west end the daily swim still means this pool, with the hot tubs doubling as the place neighbors trade the day's news. The Vesturbæjarlaug swimming pool has a 25-meter pool, five hot tubs plus a larger double tub, a cold tub and a steam bath. In 2025 it added two saunas and an infrared sauna, with sauna access for disabled visitors. Kids get a children's pool, a wading pool and a small water slide. Close to the University of Iceland and the National Museum, the pool is open all year, weekdays 06:30–22:00 and weekends 09:00–22:00, and an hour or two is enough. Early mornings belong to regulars doing laps. A dark winter evening in the Vesturbæjarlaug hot tubs, ideally with light snow falling, is about as local as a Reykjavík visit gets. From late August to June, parts of the pool can be reserved for school swimming and club training, so lap swimmers may prefer early or late hours. The steam bath closes every Friday from 13:00 to 15:00 for cleaning, and on weekends the saunas open at 10:00. Under the city tariff in force since May 5, 2026, adult entry is 1,500 ISK, ages 10 to 17 pay 400 ISK, and children under 10 swim free with an adult. Swimwear rents for 1,270 ISK and a towel for 860 ISK, and entry is included in the Reykjavík City Card. As at every Icelandic pool, shower without a swimsuit before you get in.